Christina Herrera Books

Two identical twin boys attracted to one girl. You can only imagine the drama that will take place when two men decide they want one woman. And on top of that, there's a mean girl who's ready to stop at nothing until she gets both twins for herself.

I have a crush on Brennan Lopez.
The only problem is I keep getting him mixed up with his identical twin brother.
Not to mention, the most powerful girl in my high school is out to get me.
Why? Let’s just say we haven’t ever been besties.
And we both like the same guy.
But I’m not going to let her get to me.
I’m going to get Brennan Lopez’s attention if it’s the last thing I do.
Even if it means talking to his identical twin brother until he notices me.

If you like sweet and wholesome romance, then look no further! This is book one in the Hidden Shores Academy series.

Chapter 1

I was at my usual spot in the cafeteria when my crush decided to sit directly in front of me. “So, Katy,” he said, raking his hands through his jagged dark hair. “I couldn’t help but notice you blatantly staring at me from across the room.”
“Maybe I was.” I lifted an intrigued brow. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Good question.” He brushed his thumb against his lower lip and grinned. “Why don’t you meet me behind the bleachers after school and find out?”
“Tempting.” My voice quivered, and I dug my nails into my hands. “I’ll have to think about that one.” Brennan was so hot, but I didn’t want him to know how I truly felt.
“What is there to think about?” He leaned forward and looked me straight in the eyes. “I know you’ve had a thing for me for a while now.”
“Excuse me?” My mouth began to slide open, and I promptly closed it. How could Brennan possibly know that I’d liked him for the past two years? Ever since I transferred to Hidden Shores Academy as a sophomore, he was all I could think about. I could have sworn I’d hidden my feelings well. It was like he saw straight through me.
“I’m sorry, but did you hear a word I just said?” As he cocked his head to the side, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before, a distinct birthmark hidden beneath his chin.
Then it dawned on me.
He wasn’t at all the guy I thought he was. Instead of my crush sitting in front of me, it was his identical twin brother, Brett Lopez.
“You’re not Brennan, are you?”
“What?” He scrunched his nose. “Do you mean to tell me this whole time you thought I was him? I thought you’d finally have us figured out by now.”
“Well, you sure seem to have me figured out,” I said with a smirk.
He shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“Why do girls always act so disappointed when they figure out I’m not him? We look exactly the same.” He pointed to himself. “I’m just as hot as he is.”
I shrugged. “Sure you are.”
“Forget it,” he said and stormed off into the sea of people swarming in the cafeteria.
As I watched students meander between tables, my friend, Evelyn Juma, made her way through the crowd. She wore a baby blue shirt that hung off the shoulders, paired with dark designer jeans. She was known for only wearing top-of-the-line name brand clothing, and the way she held herself when she walked, you could have mistaken her for an African Queen. We became friends almost instantly on my first day of school, which was probably due to the fact she was one of the kindest people I knew.
She slid onto a seat in front of me and asked, “What’s up with Brett?”
I took a bite of my peanut butter sandwich. “He’s just mad because I confused him with Brennan again.”
Evelyn’s eyes looked past me and widened. “Speaking of Brennan, he’s talking to Brett right now.” She tossed a handful of braids behind her shoulder. “But don’t look.”
I craned my head over my shoulder and watched Brett talking to his twin from a distance. Then their friend, Colt Davis, walked in their direction, and Brennan motioned for him to join. Before I knew it, they were all huddled together talking. You could have thought it was football season all over again. All three of them played, and they weren’t afraid of letting you know it either. I finally stopped staring when Colt shook his shaggy blond hair and laughed at something Brennan said.
Evelyn grinned. “You totally looked.”
“I wonder if Brett told his twin about what happened.”
“Maybe,” she said in a low voice. “But don’t look now. They’re heading our way.”
I smacked a palm against my forehead. “Shoot.”
“Take a deep breath.” She grinned. “It’s just Brennan.”
“Just Brennan?” My mouth dropped. “He’s the quarterback of the football team. He has cheerleaders throwing themselves at him on a daily basis. He’s like the social king of our entire Junior class.”
Evelyn’s smile grew until crinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes. It wasn’t long until her grin turned into a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
She pointed and said, “He’s right behind you.”
I turned around and saw the beginnings of a smirk on his face. My cheeks flamed. He rubbed the back of his neck, making the muscles in his arm bulge. “You know, I don’t always have cheerleaders throwing themselves at me.” His smirk widened. “Sometimes random freshman girls do, too.”
He had to be joking. “And I bet that makes you so proud.”
He grinned. “Exactly.”
Brennan sat down next to me, and Colt slid onto the bench next to Evelyn. “Hey,” Colt said, scooting closer to her. “How long did it take you to get your hair into all those braids?” He placed his head in his hand and gawked at her hair like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
She held out a braid, allowing him a closer view. “About six hours.”
“Seriously?” His jaw dropped. “That’s insane.”
“How do you have time for that?” Brennan asked.
“I don’t.” She grinned. “But I make time.”
I joined in. “It took up most of her weekend.”
“Sounds boring,” Colt said as he leaned closer to Evelyn. “Do you at least have something planned this Saturday?”
“Not really.” Evelyn shrugged. “Just homework.”
"Why don’t we all do something then?” he asked with a twinge of hope in his eyes.
My heart rate increased dramatically. Maybe if we did, I could finally get to know Brennan better.
Evelyn’s brows shot up in surprise. “Like what?”
“Um.” He cleared his throat. “That’s a good question. Any suggestions?”
“Why don’t we go up to Newport Beach?” I asked.
“Nah,” Brennan said. “Too far.”
“What about rock climbing?” Evelyn suggested.
“That’s a great idea.” Colt grinned. “I haven’t been in forever.”
“Okay, I’m game,” Brennan said as he leaned back in his chair. He gripped the edges of the table, forcing his biceps to expand. Was it just me, or did his muscles get even bigger from the last time I saw him?
I bit my lip and mumbled, “So hot.”
“What was that, Katy?” Colt asked.
“I said.” I paused and threw my hands up in the air.
“Let’s go.”
Stilettos clicked from behind me, and a preppy voice asked, “Where are we going?”
I turned around to see a familiar set of ice blue eyes and luscious red hair. Shannon McKell. She was the last person I wanted to see right now. After two years of waiting for the opportunity to hang out with Brennan, she was going to ruin it. Anytime anyone even looked at Brennan for too long, she found a way to make them pay for it.
If Hidden Shores was Wonderland, then Shannon was the Queen of Hearts. She walked the halls like they were her own personal territory, and if you ever rubbed her wrong, you’d end up with a much worse fate than “off with their heads.” More like a slow, morbid, social death.
I would know. She’d been making my life miserable for the past two years all because of a small misunderstanding. I was late to class at the time and rushed into a seat without a second thought. Turned out it wasn’t just any old seat. Little did I know, this one was specifically reserved for one of the members of Shannon’s entourage. By the time she’d turned around to acknowledge my presence, class had already started, and her friend Ashley had to sit elsewhere.
Being new to Hidden Shores Academy at the time, I didn’t know sitting near the ice queen would come with severe consequences. Not to mention, I came here because of a scholarship. I had no idea the type of drama that would come from a private school.
“Nowhere,” I said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh, really?” She lifted an arched brow and shot
Brennan a flashy grin. “Where are we going, Bren?”
My skin crawled at the mention of his new nickname. Why did she always act like she owned him?
They’d never even dated. Although, if you told her that, she’d probably egg your house.
He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t think we have any plans.” He looked at Colt with hopeful eyes. “Right, Colt?”
“Huh?” Colt looked confused until Evelyn nudged him and gave him a stern look. “Right. No plans. I’m definitely doing nothing because I have nothing to do. Especially not this weekend.”
“Seriously?” Shannon said as she pointed her French-manicured finger at us. “I know you guys are hanging out.”
“Yeah,” I said and lifted my eyebrows matter-of-factly. “Without you.”
Brennan grinned ear-to-ear. “Ouch.”
“Do you need some water? Because you just got burned!” Evelyn said, snapping her fingers.
We all laughed at Evelyn’s comment, but Shannon’s face turned cherry red. “Whatever. See you in chemistry, Brennan.”
He rolled his eyes. “Sure.”
Everyone laughed and carried on, but I was worried. We had offended the ice queen, and I knew for a fact she did not take these things lightly. I might have won the battle, but I could tell from the look on her face that this was far from over.
This meant war.